Studio 3F was my first work space, opened in 2005. It was a small (suite) photo studio on the third floor of a commercial building which sat on the outskirts of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. My friend Andrew once referred to 3F as "Vinnie's cave" and a "dark place," which admittedly it was, despite the four gigantic brightly back-lit windows. Andrew was right, it was dark. When he said this, he wasn't referencing the ambient light, but rather the mood of the space.

[I've always been under the impression] that the studio offered an environment where people felt safe to explore themselves, experiment in conversation and act out-of-character. Whether I'm making this up to suit a narrative I personally like or not is unclear.

If it's a false narrative and people actually felt uncomfortable and self-conscious, well… whoops. There was a lot of drug use going on, I was making all different kinds of work I hadn't made before. I never wanted to leave (and I rarely did.) All the time I spent there seemed to make sense. Looking back on it now, I wasn't doing anything particularly of note - but so it goes - substance abuse clouds your judgement.

There was a view camera atop a tripod at all times. The studio was peppered with random people, many of whom were photographed. Much of the work I was doing was formal portraiture. These are some of the images made in 3F.